May your tail wag, your belly be full, and may you have a forever family to rub your tummy and scratch behind your ears. --------- the collies' blessing to other dogs

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Key West Sun Halo

Last Tuesday was exciting cyber-paw pals. We saw a 22-degree solar halo. The picture below was taken by one of Dog Dad’s co-workers. It sure is neat. The halo is caused by light passing through ice crystals in high clouds, way up in the Sun.

22 degree Solar Halo

29 April 2008 - Key West, FL

When Dog Dad lived in North Dakota a pawzillion dog moons before we met him, he saw several sundogs, a moondog and even a few sun pillars. Sundogs occur when the Sun is low and commonly seen in blowing snow. North Dakota has plenty of blowing snow. The fancy term for sundog is a parhelion and a moondog is called a paraselene. If you want to read more about halos go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halo_(optical_phenomenon). You can find out more about sundogs, moondogs and sun pillars there too. Sorry Mojo and Rosie, there are no suncats or mooncats.

Legend has it that a sundog is portends good luck when spotted on a long journey or before a hunt. Sundogs appear early in the movie “The Deer Hunter.” Robert De Niro’s character remarks that it is “A blessing on the hunter sent by the great wolf to his children.” Dog Dad refers to Essex as Moondog at times and Deacon as Sundog. We must be good luck.

Nice photos! I had a post last year about moon- and sun-dogs; I quite like them. We dogs can see all kinds of things that humans cannot!

licks & slobbers-Charlie

P.S. I asked a blogging animal friend how to keep a post at the top and she said to put a future date on it - what do you know, it worked! Some others said I couldn't do that, but I don't know how blogger works, so it must not apply!

Key West Collie Time

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The Collies

Essex and Sherman are aunt and great nephew. Essex is a friendly, but reserved female tri-color. Sherman is a brave happy outgoing male sable & white. Deacon is a our dog angel that watches over our pack. He crossed the bridge before his fifth barkday.